Dissociative experiences and psychopathology in conversion disorders

The concepts of dissociation and conversion are historically linked with th e first psychodynamic ideas on hysteria. However, the abolition of "hysteri cal neurosis" from current nosology has led to independent developments of these theoretical models. Recent studies found a high degree of somatizatio n in dissociative disorders. However, little is known about dissociation in conversion disorders. We assessed 72 patients with conversion disorders fo r their dissociative and general psychopathology using the German version o f the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) and the Symptom Check List (SCL-9 0-R). They were compared with a control group of 96 psychiatric patients su ffering from Various neurotic disorders, who were matched for gender and ag e. Dissociative symptoms were significantly more frequent in conversion dis order patients than in controls. There were no differences in the SCL-90-R scores between the two groups. Our findings support the theory of similar p sychological processes underlying conversion and dissociative disorders des pite their descriptive differences. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.